Barabanki: 9 dead after consuming food, drinks at relative's place

Lucknow: Nine people died in Barabanki in Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday after consuming food at their relatives place in Thal Khurd village in the city. 

All the bodies have been sent for postmortem. 

An investigation team reached the Thal Khurd village today morning and launched a probe into the deaths. 

Barabanki: An investigation team reached Thal Khurd village for further probe. 9 people of the village died after consuming food & drinks at their relative's place. pic.twitter.com/eWtFusbXeY — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) January 11, 2018

ADM Barabanki Anil Kumar Singh said that one of the nine persons had succumbed after suffering a heart attack while a probe has been launched to find out the cause of deaths of eight others.

"Rest of the bodies are being examined," he said.

One of the people had succumbed to heart attack. His relatives took away his body for last rites. Rest of the bodies are being examined. All of them have been sent for postmortem.: Anil Kumar Singh, ADM Barabanki pic.twitter.com/MkscnoWo15 — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) January 11, 2018

The victims' relatives have, however, alleged spurious liquor to be the cause behind the deaths.

On the other hand, the district administration has not confirmed the hooch angle and are waiting for the post-mortem report.

All the victims were first rushed to a hospital in Barabanki in a critical state where the doctors referred them to Lucknow's trauma centre.

As per a report, the victims, hailing from different villages, had gone to a local feast on Tuesday night where they allegedly consumed 'spurious' liquor after which their condition deteriorated that led to the deaths.

Uttar Pradesh is now the third state after Delhi and Gujarat to have an Act under which bootleggers may be given the death penalty if consumption of spurious liquor leads to loss of life.

The UP Excise (Amendment) Bill, 2017, has the provisions of the death penalty, life sentence and a fine to the tune of Rs. 10 lakh and not less than Rs. five lakh in case of death due to consumption of spurious liquor. It also provides for rigorous imprisonment up to ten years and not less than six years in case of disability caused by consumption of spurious liquor and fine to the tune of Rs. five lakh and not less than Rs. three lakh.

Hooch tragedies take a heavy toll every year in Uttar Pradesh. In July, 17 people died in Azamgarh after they consumed spurious liquor. In 2015, 28 people were killed in a similar incident in the Malihabad area of Lucknow.